Saturday, June 11, 2016

Stuffed Peppers from the Garden!

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back with a really fun recipe but before I get to that, I have to share some pictures of the local produce. I'm SOOOOO happy it's finally cherry season!

These are from our Rainier cherry tree. They're more mild and less tangy than the Bings.

YUMMY.

We went to pick some Bings at a little local place and the elderly woman was so kind, showing us all over the property and explaining the pollination to my little guys.

When I thanked her for being so patient, she said, "I don't know if you remember me. I always brought my grandson to your storytime at the library. Thank YOU for being so patient with him." Isn't that funny? I didn't recognize her at all "out of context".

So, this is what we've been feasting on the last few days. Delicious!

Now back to the recipe. This is a perfect dish to use up all the left over peppers in your garden. (what? No leftover peppers?? Well, sometimes my husband eats ours, too, but for some reason... this year I had extra.)

EDIT June 2016: And since this is a repost, I'm just HOPING to have extra!

Oooo, pretty peppers!

Mild banana peppers and a little hotter chile de arbol peppers.

In summer, this is what my counter looks like. Complete with little grabby hands.
EDIT June 2016: I want to cry with anticipation when I see this counter of goodies! Can't wait!

Grabby and grubby.

OK, so, split the peppers down the center and get out all the seeds. I hear that's where the hot part is. I'm not sure if that's true but I don't want to test it.

A friend who lives in Louisiana says she always rolls her batter in cornmeal before frying. I'm gonna try it.

Stuff the peppers with the cream cheese mix.

Mix the batter according to the directions and carefully coat the peppers, making sure the cream cheese doesn't fall out.

Then carefully roll in the corn meal...

Here's an action shot of the peppers getting their batter coating.

Ta-Dah! After frying about four minutes on each side, the batter should be crispy, the pepper slightly cooked (not super soft or slimey, just soft) and the cream cheese soft and melted.
EDIT June 2016: Why is this not on my table right now?? I need this to fuel my late night writing.

Fresh cukes with cherry tomatoes! A sprig of lemon basil adds a lot of flavor. Over the cucumbers I usually squeeze a lime and sprinkle some salt.

Happy summer food! The only part I didn't like was frying over the hot stove, so next time I'll use the fry daddy. Maybe I'll even plug it in outside so it doesn't make the house smell greasy, but even so, this was worth it!!

EDIT June 2016: I thought I was just reposting this recipe but now I need to make it ASAP. Yummmmm. I love Yankee Belle Cafe because it's like a giant recipe file with pictures an when I flip through I remember how much I loved a dish.
Be sure to drop by my author page at Mary Jane Hathaway, or my other author page at Virginia Carmichael, or my blog at The Things That Last! All my newest book news and musings is there, including anything else that strikes my fancy!

Isn't it adorable? I wish I wrote cozy cookbook mysteries or something. Of course, I wonder what Pioneer Woman Cooks would think of her pitcher on the front of a book cover. Probably better avoid any identifiable products!

You have cherries already???? Sigh -- the only fresh from the garden produce we have up here are green onions, lettuce, spinach, radishes...salady stuff. I was hoping for strawberries but not yet. Maybe next week. Fingers crossed.

Strawberry season was about two weeks ago (for backyard gardens). Now it's cherry season but that's coming to a close. The exciting part?? It's blueberry season! I can't go pick this year but we've always picked for others, so I have friends who are headed out soon to pick some for us! What comes around, goes around. :)

Last year we had a terrible cherry season and they were nowhere to be found. Well, we could find them in the store but they were 4.99/lb!! It was a tragedy. We're so spoiled with our $1 Upick cherries in many varieties. I was thrilled that this year the weather cooperated!

This reminds me of the chili rellenos and poblano al carbon my hubby loves so much. Just add a little meat to the cheese filling. He loves stuffed peppers so long as they're not bell peppers. The man does not like bell peppers at all. So if I dare to use them, I have to chop them very finely.

But I digress. At least until I get started on the cherries. Double yum.

MMMMMM, my sister makes some that have the most delicious sauce. I don't even like belle peppers and I think they taste good. But I don't cook them myself. I'm not sure what it is, but the few times I've tried, they smelled so... bell peppery.

The Small Print

By the way...we're not doctors or nurses. We're not nutritionists. We're not mental health professionals. We just like to eat and chat and share recommendations. All sharing on this blog is the opinion of the individual authors and is for entertainment purposes only. It's not to be taken as medical or health advice. Please always talk to your doctor about what's best for you!